Tom Leppert threatens Dallas citizens with higher taxes

After watching this WFAA story on Sunday’s Trinity debate, it became clear to me that there is no way this referendum will fail. The pro-tollroad (Vote No) people are going to have a hard time trying to mobilize people to go to the polls to vote for a road through the park. “Yes, I’m here to vote ‘No’ so that Tom Leppert can put a high speed tollway through the nice park.” There is no way they can convince enough people to go to the polls for that, so the mayor is pulling out the scare tactics. The nebulous threat that everything will surely fall apart if the referendum passes and Dallas will be irreparably wounded has failed. Nobody believes that, with the possible exception of people from Southlake and they don't get to vote on the land grab.

So now Mayor Tom is trotting out the threat of a tax hike (watch the WFAA clip), as if he’s going to ask the city of Dallas to pay for this road to carry commuters through our city – not to downtown but from the southeast to the northwest of Dallas. Out of the other side of his mouth, Leppert has pledged to lower tax rates next year (even though citizens seem to have said they would rather invest in than neglect our public infrastructure by voting for a huge bond election last year).

So which is it, Mr. Mayor? Are you going to change your mind on taxes and take it out on us dumb voters who just don’t understand your vision for paving the Trinity? Are you really going to try to make the citizens of Dallas pay for a tollroad through sales or property taxes? Give me a break! A tollroad is supposed to be paid for with – wait for it – tolls, and if anyone is going to kick in extra money to pay for this state road I don’t think it will be the city of Dallas.

But I don’t think anyone believes the mayor’s scare tactics. People seem to understand that the choice really is pretty simple: Do you want a highway in your nice new park and in your flood control system or don’t you?

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By the way, the DMN isn’t making me mad anymore. They are so laughably in the pockets of the tollroad people it’s embarrassing. Read a couple of these “news” stories from Bruce Tomaso and tell me if you agree. I mean really, the referendum "is like asking a 14-year old if he'd rather have broccoli or a Dr. Pepper." Did Bruce really write that? The most telling thing in this analogy - the voters are the 14 year old.